This invention relates generally to therapeutic devices for applying traction, and more particularly, to therapeutic devices which allow for ambulatory use by the patient in which the amount of traction can be very closely controlled in a relatively simple manner.
In the treatment of many patient symptoms, especially symptoms involving the back and the neck, the preferred treatment includes the application of traction to the neck or back, and it is usually desirable to be able to control the amount of traction and vary the amount of traction applied. Normally, the control of traction at different levels is most easily accomplished when the patient is confined in bed so that the intricate devices for applying the exact amount of traction are available. Heretofore, however, it has not been feasible to closely control traction on ambulatory devices because of the relative complexity of the equipment involved and a need for close watch and calibration and the need for constant, professional attendance to the control of the amount of traction applied.